Month: February 2013

In light of yesterday’s post, and in keeping with the Year of Faith’s invitation to read the documents of Vatican II, here is an excerpt from one of the classical passages of Vatican II’s Lumen Gentium, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church: CHAPTER V THE UNIVERSAL CALL TO HOLINESS IN THE CHURCH 39. The Church, whose mystery is being set forth by this Sacred Synod, is believed to be indefectibly holy. Indeed Christ, the Son of God, who with the Father and the Spirit is praised as “uniquely holy,” (1*) loved the Church as His bride, […]

Lent is clearly a time to examine our holiness of life. Some have recently asked for greater detail in terms of what exactly holiness entails. In short, holiness is found through our relationship with God. That is why Jesus instructs us “to be perfect just as our heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48) In other words, our holiness exists in God, who is Supreme holiness; Holiness itself. St. Thomas Aquinas saw holiness as our capacity to receive God. “For nothing is worthy to receive God unless it be pure, according to Psalm 92:5: ‘Holiness becomes your […]

Yesterday most Dioceses around the country celebrated the Rite of Election and Call. This is a formal stage of the process of acknowledging the call of our Lord in the life of those who will join the Church as full members this Easter. The Rite is to be celebrated in the Cathedral wherever possible. This is significant in that the Cathedral and the Bishop represent the unity of the local Church (Arch/Diocese) as well as its unity with the universal Church. This is always a beautiful moment as it represents new life in those who […]

We have today another well- known moment in the life of Jesus. The familiarity of these Gospel stories can work against us in that we can too quickly dismiss the accounts as if to say: “I’ve heard this before, tell me something I do not know.” But have we ‘dug into’ this account to allow the Holy Spirit to reveal the depths of its meaning; the application of that meaning to my own life? We see in this account Jesus at the beginning of his public ministry, immediately following his revelation as the Son of […]

After a couple winter months spent primarily in the office, travels resumed once again this month. In the past two weeks, I’ve celebrated Mass or visited to following: Blessed Sacrament in Ft. Washaki, St. Joseph in Ethete, St. Stephen’s, Lander for a brief visit with some of the faculty at the Wyoming Catholic College, St. Margaret in Riverton, St. Francis in Thermopolis, St. Mary Magdalene in Worland, Our Lady of Fatima in Casper as well as the Cathedral and Holy Trinity in Cheyenne. Today I’m enjoying a bone fide day off. I truly enjoy the […]

I hope and pray your Lenten journey is well underway. I also pray it will be fruitful journey that leads to a closer walk with the Lord, greater clarity in God’s will for you, and renewed grace and charity to live it. Today’s reading from Deuteronomy invites us as Moses invites the Israelites to choose life over death. For us, this means choosing Christ, who is the ‘light of God’s face.’ (Psalm 44) In turning our hearts to God, we seek truth over falsehood, meaning over irrelevance, purpose of life rather than drifting with the […]

“Your inmost being must be renewed, and you must put on the new man.” These words from St. Paul (Ephesians 4:23-24) summarize the goal of the Lenten journey, indeed, the goal of the Christian life. As the church enters the desert for these 40 days, we do so in the company of Christ, we do so in our life-long pursuit of God. Lent allows us to focus on the deepest desires of our soul and provides us with the courage to do what our soul desires according to God. Lent is fundamentally a time to […]

As the season of Lent is now hours away, I wish to share a statement prepared by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. We see a great beauty in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and wish to invite a greater reception of this Sacrament by our people. Lent is a time for conversion. Lent is a time for going deeper in our relationship with Christ. As Sunday’s readings revealed, when we have these profoundly personal encounters with God (Isaiah 6) and with Jesus (Luke 5:1-11), we have an experience of being intimately known. This encounter […]

Bishop Etienne Responds to News of Resignation of Pope Benedict XVI The Church Universal woke up today to the unexpected news that Pope Benedict XVI will resign as the Bishop of Rome, Successor of Saint Peter effective 8:00 pm Rome time on February 28, 2013. This is the first time in modern history that a living Pontiff will resign from office. From the very beginning of his Petrine Ministry, (successor to St. Peter) April 2005, Pope Benedict XVI has been a loving Shepherd of the Universal Church. His faith and prayer, his depth […]

Welcome to my blog, and thanks for visiting! I became the 4th Archbishop of Anchorage on November 9, 2016 after 7 years as the Bishop of Cheyenne and many more as a priest of the Archdiocese of Indianpolis.

Preaching is a priority for my episcopal ministry, and this blog is my humble effort to engage the New Evangelization and to serve you, God’s holy, faithful people! Enjoy your visit, and together, may we grow in truth and love.